On Monday night, emotional scenes were captured of Global Sumud Flotilla participants landing in Dublin Airport after spending several days in Israeli custody.
Irish novelist Naoise Dolan is part of the next wave of activists attempting to bring aid to Palestine. Currently sailing with the Freedom Flotilla, Dolan is approaching the high-risk “red zone” near Gaza waters where interception of previous flotillas has occurred. They are on track to enter the zone near Port Said in Egypt at some point after midnight.
“[We’re] quite focused on what’s ahead because we’ve spent weeks preparing for this and yet, it all seems so sudden and you never feel prepared enough,” Dolan says. “We’re making sure that all our things are in easy reach, that we have equipment to deal with any potential chemical weapons for instance.”
Dolan is speaking from one of the fleet’s nine boats, which she has shared with six other activists since September 27th. Their boat is predominantly carrying medical supplies, including painkillers, baby formula and crutches for amputees.
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“At the front of my mind is always delivering the aid,” Dolan says. “That’s how you sustain a sense of purpose doing this, and I never want that to be merely symbolic. It’s also material help that we’re attempting to bring. Equally, I’m a rational person so I’m very prepared for what might happen.”
Freedom Flotilla participants closely followed the Global Sumud’s progress, and Dolan has spoken with fellow Irish artists Sarah Clancy and Donna Schwartz since they made it home. Their experience has helped her to mentally prepare for the days ahead, and Dolan is inspired by the Global Sumud’s ability to bring attention back to Palestinians..
“They’ve highlighted that 11,000 people are rotting in such prisons without any real prospect of release, including 400 children – let alone the genocide itself,” Dolan says. “Not only seeing the attention on them but seeing the fact that they successfully used that to amplify the Palestinian cause and how much more we still need to do – that’s given me hope.”
Organisers of a pro-Palestine march in Dublin on Saturday estimated that more than 25,000 people attended. Dolan says the biggest fear a lot of activists had was that their work would draw attention away from Palestinians, but she is buoyed by the response.
“I don’t think there was ever a lack of awareness or sympathy in the Irish public, but there was maybe a lack of momentum and a lack of empowerment,” Dolan says. “People didn’t feel that their actions would make a difference.
“I think the fact that we’re all sailing now with greater personal risk, and less chance that the result that we’re after will necessarily come about, has made people see that actually you can press for policy change at home and it can garner results.”
That personal risk that activists are facing is felt heavily by friends and family members back home. As they approach a period where communication might be impossible, Dolan hopes her parents are feeling proud.
“We’re very lucky to have internet,” she says. “I try to call my parents every day and I’ve prepared them for the fact that we might be having a few days now where no one knows anything about me, and I think they’re dealing with that as best they can. It’s probably easier for them that I’m in the second wave because they’ve seen people come back.
“They’ve become relentless in their support for all of this. They’d never gone to protests before, but now they’re at every protest and they’ve been at all the airport greetings so far as well saying hi to everyone. I think that helps them to trust that the odds are we will come out the other side of this.”
